Facebook launches mobile gaming service says no to iPhone

Facebook is entering the game streaming industry, challenging the likes of Sony, Google, Amazon, Microsoft and Nvidia. All the brands have made ways for users to play visually complex console and PC games over the internet, using technique similar to how Netflix plays movies. While many companies are concentrated on the top-level games like Take-Two’s action-adventure game Grand Theft Auto V or Ubisoft’s upcoming role-playing video game Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Facebook says it’s going to plan on mobile games instead.

The latest service from Facebook, which is part of its Facebook Gaming venture, will give people access to smartphone games like Gameloft’s Asphalt 9: Legends street racer without the need to download or install an app. Instead, Facebook said people can play these games on a PC via its Facebook Gaming website or through its Facebook app on smartphones powered by Google’s Android system.

Facebook is going to make this technology available to Android-based phones and computers. The company said Apple’s restrictions requiring, including other things, that cloud gaming companies submit each game to Apple’s review team mean the service won’t be available for iPhones for now.

“While our iOS path is uncertain, one thing is clear. Apple treats games differently and continues to exert control over a very precious resource,” Jason Rubin, vice president of play at Facebook, wrote in a blog post Monday announcing the service.

Facebook’s progress marks the new effort by the social networking giant to expand the number of users looking to it for games, one of the whopping and fastest-growing entertainment industries around the world. The key reason for that growth is the explosion of online games, enabling titles like Fortnite to attract hundreds of millions of gaming-enthusiasts to compete against one another in a last-man-standing battle royal.

The games aren’t limited to just entertainment, though. People also watch other’s play and compete on livestreatming services like Amazon’s Twitch, YouTube livestreaming Facebook’s streaming service too. And when they’re not indulging in that, they may prefer using games to digitally find new friends, turning them into a whole new social network.

The COVID-19 pandemic, which has affected more than 42 million people around the globe and killed more than 1.1 million people, had led to continuous government-ordered lockdowns. Many game makers and online service providers consider that this virus has increasingly turned people towards gaming outlets, increasing usage up significantly.

And that’s where Facebook eyes. It’s already one of the most widespread internet destinations around the world, and it’s continuously trying to get a hold of the gaming world. Recently, it retouched its game streaming and playing service, now named Facebook Gaming.

“As crazy as it sounds, the values of Facebook’s social games from 2010 are nearly identical to the promise of cloud games in 2020: instant access to games on any browser and playable with your friends wherever they are,” Rubin said in his post.

Facebook will commence its cloud gaming service as a beta, with access to four major games including Gameloft’s Asphalt racing game. Users will be able to have free access to these games.

Taking it to Apple

While Facebook’s plunge into cloud gaming itself is big news, its decision to leave out iPads and iPhones and to publicly criticize Apple over its app store policies is noteworthy as well.

However, Apple has increasingly been condemned by other tech and gaming companies over the way it controls its App Store. Apple gives permission to users to download iPhone and iPad apps only using its own app store. In return, the company assures safety and security, which it confirms by requiring developers to comply with a list of guidelines and to submit each app for review before it’s made widely available. In-app purchases must be processed through Apple.

Google, Microsoft, Epic and now Facebook say these rules are too intricate, allowing Apple too much control over other companies’ products and finances.

“Apple stands alone as the only general-purpose outlet to deny users from cloud gaming and game subscription services like Xbox Game Pass,” Microsoft said in August, when it criticized Apple over its app store rules.

Apple’s consistently defended itself, including from a lawsuit submitted by Epic accusing it of being a monopoly.

“We made the App Store with two goals in mind: that it be a safe and trusted place for customers to explore and download apps, and a big business opportunity for all developers,” Apple said on an app store explainer page it published last year. “We take responsibility for ensuring that apps are held to a high standard for privacy, security and content because nothing is more important than maintaining the trust of our users.”

Facebook said iPhone customers will get to use the feature when it’s part of an ad meant to give a demo of a mobile game.

Expanding the web

About a decade ago, Facebook was at the top of a new breed of “social” games. Games like Zynga’s FarmVile became extent phenomena, in part because they were free to play and were built into Facebook ecosystem. If you wanted to do something in the game, it would alert you on Facebook. You could also send invitations to your friends to play.

As smartphones gain popularity, though, many games moved to Apple’s App Store and Google Play. That doesn’t mean Facebook’s gaming service is unpopular; the social networking site said 380 million people play games using its platform each month.

These days, mobile games can cover a mighty space on your smartphone. Fortnite in size is considerable large as it takes 3GB, a hefty ask if someone wishes to download the game to play while on the go. High-speed 5G internet and advance downloading tricks by developers are expected to help, but Facebook says its latest gaming feature will help too.

By continuously making it simpler to play mobile games by eliminating the need to download and install them on a phone, Facebook could regain its mettle as a key platform for gaming.

Facebook hinted it has broad hopes for its cloud gaming endeavors but wants to focus on mobile games for now in part because its executives think see game streaming technology isn’t largely ready yet for graphically intense console and PC games.

“Cloud game streaming for the masses still has a way to go,” Rubin wrote, “and it’s crucial to embrace both the benefits and the reality of the technology rather than try to oversell where it’ll be in the future.”